


Light in the Darkness

by malecfeels



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec being the perfect boyfriend, Caring and Sharing, Developing Relationship, Domestic Malec, M/M, Magnus' past, Malec, Nightmares, Post S03E2, Protective Alec Lightwood, Relationship Talks, Vulnerable Magnus Bane, little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 12:05:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14135700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecfeels/pseuds/malecfeels
Summary: A little something after S3 e02- The Powers That Be..Magnus has a nightmare and he and Alec talk about Asmodeus.





	Light in the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> HELLLLO!  
> Its been a long long loooong while. I haven't written in so long. Actually if you guys are unaware, i wrote a long series about Human Malec of over 100k words on my pseud account- 'infinity'. So if you haven't yet then go check it out! I am adding the link for it at the end of the story!  
> For now I am back in our shadowhunters worlds as the new season has started. And hopefully my writer's block won't stop me from writing more.  
> This is a short story which I first wanted to base on episode 2 but it did not go that way. It doesn't really focus on the episode.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it! 
> 
> PS: Ignore any grammtical errors. I rechecked it but still there might be some.

**Light in the Darkness**

It was not an unfamiliar sight for Magnus. He was used to the grime shadows and the inky darkness. He was used to the golden yellow cat eyes reflecting back to him.

Except these were more of reddish glare weaving between the golden and the glow was so much more sinister. The darkness was heavy, weighing on his soul. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. All he could do was feel the deep cold eyes and the heavy darkness surround him and seep ever so slowly into him. It was unrelenting. He was helpless.

“You will come to me, my son. One day, you will come to me.”

It was getting closer and closer. It was over him. It was pressing down and down and down…

“Magnus!”

Magnus’ eyes shot open to more darkness. But this was unlike the one he was in a few minutes ago. This was filled with a faint yellow light coming from the windows. More importantly it carried a familiar face with dark hair and concerned brown eyes gazing down at him. Magnus immediately felt the oppressive nightmare start to fade away at the sight.

“Hey.” Alec said, his voice hushed. “You were having a nightmare.”

Magnus blinked a little as he registered his surroundings. He was in his bed as usual, the covers thrown haphazardly around him. He could feel the sweat cool down his neck and back and he shifted in discomfort. Alec had a light grip on his arm, the only place he was touching. He knew well than to go further than that.

“Sorry.” Magnus whispered, moving to get up. “Did I hur-“

No.” Alec immediately cut in, his grip tightening. “It wasn’t for long. You should just lie down.”

“No. I am sweaty.” Magnus shook his head. He pressed his fingers tightly to his forehead in hopes of staving off the encroaching headache. “You should go back to sleep, Alexander. I am fine.”

“No way.” Alec said. “Let’s get you settled first, okay?”

Magnus sighed. He knew better than to try by now. As much as he craved and loved Alec’s company after a nightmare, it always made him feel extra vulnerable and dependable. But Alec never complained. Never did anything but be there for him.

“Do you want to get out of those clothes? Maybe have a bath?” Alec asked, soothing a hand down his arm.

Magnus relaxed into him. “I would like to change yes. But no bath.”

“Okay. What about that herbal tea you like so much?” Alec asked. “It might help you sleep.”

Magnus internally groaned at the thought of sleep. But the idea of sipping the hot tea was appealing. “Yes. Thank you, Alexander.” He felt a small kiss on his forehead before the bed shifted beside him.

“Get changed. I’ll go prepare that tea.” Alec said, moving away. “We should take it to the balcony. The stars are out tonight.”

“That would nice.” Magnus mumbled. He resisted the urge to grab at him and make him stay beside him. But he first needed to get a grip on himself and get out of his filthy clothes.

He knew Alec wasn’t going anywhere.

* * *

 

Alec gently stirred the steaming cup of tea, the action soothing him more than he thought. He was actually exhausted. So deep in his slumber that it had taken him longer to realize that Magnus had been going through a nightmare.

He hated when Magnus had nightmares. He knew Magnus hated to have them with him. They may have been together and happy for quite some time now but he knew Magnus didn’t like to be so vulnerable with anyone. Even his loving boyfriend who didn’t mind the vulnerability and only cared to make him feel better.

Alec sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. The day had been long and tiring. All he wanted was to wrap Magnus in his arms and sleep in their too large bed. But the day was having a different toll on Magnus and he wouldn’t rest easy until he made sure he was okay and join him in his comfortable sleep too.

Alec heard the soft footsteps and straightened up just as Magnus entered the living room. He clicked the spoon against the cup and set it aside. Picking both the cups up, he made his way towards him.

“Hey.” Alec greeted with a small smile. It threatened to slide off as he saw how pale Magnus looked. He had already been out of it because of the magic drain. Now he looked absolutely exhausted.

“You are having the tea too?” Magnus asked raising his brow.

Alec shook his head. “Hot chocolate. You know I hate the tea.”

“For reasons I won’t ever understand.” Magnus said with a familiar wave of his hand.

Alec was glad he wasn’t too affected by the nightmare. The lurking fear and exhaustion was there but it wasn’t too much compared to a few other times.

They made their way to the balcony and settled down with their respective drinks. Alec smiled in relief as Magnus in a familiar motion moved towards him and snuggled comfortably against his side. He dropped a quick kiss to the side of his head before leaning back against the many soft cushions.

It was a quiet for a while as the two of them sipped at their drinks, gazing up at the clear sky filled with stars. It was pleasantly cool and the world around them was silent. It felt like they were the only two people in the world. Alec loved nights like this. It was the most peaceful he felt.

“The tea is perfect.” Magnus said, his voice low. “I think it was a mistake teaching it to you. You make it better than me.”

“Considering you are the only one I will be making it for however times you want, I think it is a win-win situation.”

Magnus hummed in pleasure. “That is true.”

Alec held his breath for a few seconds before speaking softly. “You wanna talk about it?”

Magnus shifted a bit. “It wasn’t a nightmare exactly. Just a feeling. About a certain person.”

“Not a good feeling.” Alec stated.

“Not in the least.” Magnus agreed.

Alec nudged him a little so that he could see his face. “Who was it about?”

Magnus’ face tightened at that. He moved his gazed away, his eyes reflecting something deep and different.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Alec said, moving soothing circles on his arm. “I am here for you. You know that.”

“I do want to tell you.” Magnus said, looking into his eyes again. The glamour was up despite his apparent low magic. “It was Asmodeus.”

Alec felt the tiny tremor pass through Magnus as he said it. He couldn’t help but feel the small terror himself. Earlier when Magnus had told him that Asmodeus was his father, his mind had halted to a complete blank. He was not afraid of the shadows or the monsters that hid in them. But there were some exceptions that broke a sweat and made him shake. Asmodeus was one of them. The darkest prince of hell and one of the most powerful greater demons.

Alec shook his running thoughts away and focused on Magnus’ now cold skin under him. “Do you get a lot about him?”

Magnus shook his head. “No. My physical warding against him actually prevents him from terrorizing my dreams. But with all the talk about him today and the magic depletion…I guess my defenses were very low tonight.”

“Will talking about it help?” Alec murmured, pulling him towards him again.

“It never helps with anyone else. Only you, Alexander.” Magnus said, resting his head on his shoulder.

“I am glad I can help. I wish I could take away these nightmares for you. I will if I could.” Alec said, his helplessness reflected in his voice.

“Darling, you help me in ways no one else ever can. Including me.” Magnus assured softly, his breath fanning over his skin. “You do so much for me.”

Alec couldn’t help the small smile and the blush that took over his face. He dropped a kiss on his hair. “You deserve all of it.” Then quickly he continued. “What was the feeling you were talking about? In your nightmare?”

Magnus was quite for a second, silently breathing in the night air. Then, “I see his eyes. Same as mine. My warlock mark represents him. It’s one of the reasons I am not too fond of my mark.” He let out a sigh. “And there’s darkness. I am used to all kinds of darkness. But this…this is a part of his realm. It’s this living breathing shadow that just surrounds you…and it’s so suffocating you can barely breathe or move. I-It was all over me. But worse than that it’s _him_. It-Its him and I can’t do anything about it. I ca-can’t…”

Alec tightened his arm around Magnus as he started shaking. “Hey hey...It’s okay. It was just a dream. He’s not here.” He cupped the back of his head and ran calming hands through his hair. “Shh. It’s okay.”

“But it wasn’t just a dream.” Magnus whispered quietly. He had stopped shaking but he was still too tight in his arms.

“What?” Alec asked.

“Alexander, it wasn’t just a bad dream that my tired mind conjured up.” Magnus whispered in the same soft tone. “It was my actual father calling out to me.”

Alec felt a cold shiver down his back. “I don’t understand.”

Magnus shifted till he was leaning away from Alec and looking at him. His eyes shone in the darkness, filled with an indescribable emotion. “Asmodeus has had uncountable offspring’s over the centuries in all kinds of realms. Despite that there are only a few who are strong and able of being the child of the prince of hell. Alec… I am the most strongest among them.”

Alec swallowed. “I can figure that. You are strong.”

Magnus let out a humorless laugh. “It comes with its curse. Asmodeus seeks me out for my power. He wants all of it to power his realm. He has the ability to drain all of my magic, my very essence and use it to power his lifeline and his realm. A boost like my magic will make it live on for centuries to come.”

It was Alec’s turn now to feel the cold spread throughout his body and feel his hands shake and his heart plummet down in fear. “Magnus… _What?_ No. That’s not going to happen. Never.”

Magnus’ eyes looked at him first in surprise and confusion and then they softened and he lightly gripped his arm. “Alexander, don’t worry. It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Are you kidding me?” Alec narrowed his eyes. “How are you taking this so lightly? One of the strongest greater demons wants to drain you an-and _kill_ you-“

“Mere family squabbles darling.” Magnus said soothingly.

“ _Magnus-_ “

“Alexander.” Magnus cut in, cupping his cheek. His earnest eyes bore right into his, calming and quiet. “This has been going on for centuries. Asmodeus is _not_ going to get me. We have a…understanding. I can’t exactly say he respects but he understands my power and my position. Asmodeus is not reckless. He is not going to make a move and wage war upon his realm.”

Alec tried, he really tried to draw strength and assurance from steady calm and confidence in Magnus’ eyes. He placed his hand over Magnus’ on his cheek. “I can’t even think about you being in danger like this. I will never be able to stop worrying about it.”

“Please Alec.” Magnus whispered. “I did not tell you this so you can incessantly worry about something that doesn’t need even thinking about. I can take care of myself against my father. It’s just an…inevitable thing in my life. It’s the curse of being born to someone like him.”

“I will protect you.” Alec said firmly, squeezing his hand. “I will never let him come near you.”

Magnus smiled. “I know you will. Don’t worry about it, okay? I am as safe as I will ever be.”

Alec wanted more assurance than that but he knew this was as good as it would get. Living in this world, there really was no safety. He again thought about how stupid he had been to even think of holding Magnus’ immortality against him. It really had nothing to do with his life. It was as fragile as anyone else.

“Are you okay, Alec?” Magnus’ concerned question pulled him out of his thoughts.

Alec nodded slowly. “Yeah. I just...it’s going to take time to take this all in.”

Magnus bit his lip. “It is a lot.”

“Don’t take it the wrong way.” Alec shook his head. “I am so glad you shared this with me. I know it’s very important to you, Magnus. I _want_ you to be able to share your burdens with me. You will never be too much for me.”

“I think I am starting to believe that.” Magnus smiled a little. “Thank you, Alexander.”

Magnus leaned in to kiss him and Alec greedily accepted. He pressed tightly against him, wanting to feel all of him and some more. There would never be a time where he would get enough of this. Enough of Magnus. They leaned their forehead against each other and silently breathed together.

“Magnus?” Alec asked quietly.

“Yeah?” Magnus asked, looking at him.

 “What scares you so much about these nightmares about him?” Alec asked. “If there’s nothing to worry about, then what exactly is it?”

Magnus sighed. “I ca-can’t really explain.”

“Try.” Alec said, caressing his neck. “I just…hate seeing you like that.”

Magnus bit his lip. “When I have nightmares about my mother or my stepfather trying to kill me…or any other things that happened to me, it’s all in the _past._ Those are just old memories flashing through my head, reliving my worst moments. I can handle that. It’s hard but I handle them.” He took a breath. “But when _he_ comes to me…its real. I can fight as much as I want but he is a part of my life, a part of _me_. I just…the thought that my dreams are not just that but something that can come true. It…scares me.”

Alec’s heart was threatening to come out his chest again as he heard the words. He clenched his wrists to stop them from shaking. “It scares me too.” He admitted softly. He cut in as Magnus started to shake his head. “It does, Magnus. But that is not a bad thing. I am prepared to face it. You don’t have to carry this alone anymore. You don’t have to live alone in fear. I will always be there for you, if it’s a nightmare or even the real thing. You won’t face it alone.”

Magnus’ eyes were shining with unshed tears. “Oh Alexander…You have no idea how much that helps me already. You always do with my nightmares, more than I can ask for. But this…I don’t need anything else.”

“You will be fine. We both will.” Alec promised.

Magnus smiled. “I know.”

“Will you now please drop the glamor?” Alec asked thumbing under his eye. “You barely have magic to hold it up.”

“Yeah. I just…talking about him gets me a little...you know.” Magnus admitted.

“I understand.” Alec said and he watched as he dropped the glamor and his golden yellow cat eyes emerged, shining in equal power and softness in the dark light. “So beautiful. You never have to hide them. They represent _you_ and no one else.”

Magnus leaned forward and dropped his forehead on his. His golden eyes bore right into his, soothing and without a hint of evil. “I love you, Alexander.”

“I love you too.” Alec replied and drew him in a soft kiss.

* * *

 

Magnus lied in bed later that night, tightly held in Alec’s arms. He had been a bit reluctant to sleep but Alec’s reassuring words and soft touches had won him over and they had tumbled into bed, tangled together. Magnus knew Alec wanted to wait till he slept but he could sense the exhaustion taking over him and a little caress here and there had put him right to sleep. Magnus didn’t mind, he treasured these moments where he could see his peaceful sleeping face and hear his low snores. There was no better remedy to his restlessness than that.

Magnus couldn’t believe how impossibly light he felt after telling his most important secret to Alec. He had never thought he would ever tell Alec. But today he didn’t really have to think about it before he did. It was true that he didn’t tell him the whole truth about his father plans for having him under his control.

Asmodeus was a kind of monster who would do anything to get what he wanted and had the power to do it. Magnus knew that one day he would have to face him. It was inevitable. When that day came, he was going to do everything in his power and he sure as hell was not going to go down without a fight.

After today though, he was filled with a new strength and confidence. For the first time in centuries, he had hope and he was not scared. And it was all because of one shadowhunter. His Alexander. With Alec by his side, Magnus was ready to face all kinds of battles.

That night he slept peacefully in a dreamless slumber wrapped securely in the arms of the man he loved and for the first time in a long time, Magnus wasn’t scared.

* * *

[Find me on INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/malecfeeeeeels/)

[Find my Pseud Account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecfeels/pseuds/Infinity)

 

**Author's Note:**

> Its been very long since I have heard from y'all so please tell how it was! Getting out of writer's block is a nightmare and my writing might be a little shaky. Tell me all about it!
> 
> I hope to write some more in the following weeks. Keep watching the new season and happy reading! <3
> 
> PS: You can find and follow me on instagram. The link is given above <3


End file.
